1. Field of the invention
In one aspect the present invention relates to a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet thermal activation apparatus for thermally activating a heat-sensitive adhesive agent layer formed on one surface of a sheet-like substrate material. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printer for printing on a printable layer formed on the other surface of the sheet substrate material.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the sheets that are to be attached onto commodities in recent years is a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet. This heat-sensitive adhesive sheet is a print medium in which a heat-sensitive adhesive agent layer that exhibits non-adhesivity normally but shows adhesivity when heated is formed on one surface of a sheet substrate material and a printable layer is formed on the other surface, and it is widely used, for example, as POS sheets for food, distribution sheets, delivery sheets, medical sheets, baggage tugs, display sheets for bottles and cans, and so forth.
As a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printer for printing on the heat-sensitive adhesive sheet such as described above, one that has been suggested is provided with a thermal activation apparatus such that a head having, as its heat source, a plurality of resistors (heat-generating elements) provided on a ceramic substrate, like a thermal head utilized as a print head of a thermal printer, is brought into contact with a heat-sensitive adhesive agent layer of a heat-sensitive adhesive label to heat it (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Here, a general configuration of a conventional heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printer is described with reference to FIG. 8. The heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printer of FIG. 8 comprises a roll accommodating unit B for holding a tape-like heat-sensitive adhesive label A that is wound in a roll-like state, a print unit C for printing on the heat-sensitive adhesive label A, a cutter unit D for cutting the heat-sensitive adhesive sheet A into labels with a predetermined length, and a thermal activation unit E, serving as a thermal activation apparatus, for thermally activating a heat-sensitive adhesive agent layer of the heat-sensitive adhesive label A.
The print unit C comprises: a printing thermal head G that has a plurality of heat-generating elements F including a plurality of relatively small resistors arranged in the width direction so that dot printing is possible; a printing platen roller H that is to be pressure-contacted with the printing thermal head G (heat-generating element F); and so forth. In FIG. 8, the printing platen roller H is rotated clockwise, and the heat-sensitive adhesive label A is transferred to the right.
The cutter unit D is for cutting the heat-sensitive adhesive label A that has been printed by the print unit C at an appropriate length, and comprises a movable blade I that is operated by a driving source (not shown in the figure) such as an electric motor or the like, a stationary blade J opposing the movable blade I, and so forth.
The thermal activation unit E comprises: a thermal activation thermal head L serving as a heating means and having a heat-generating element K; a thermal activation platen roller M for transferring the heat-sensitive adhesive label A and serving as a transfer means; a pull-in roller N for pulling the heat-sensitive adhesive label A supplied from the print unit C side into a gap between the thermal activation thermal head L (heat-generating element K) and the thermal activation platen roller M;and so forth. In FIG. 8, the thermal activation platen roller M is rotated in a direction opposite to the printing platen roller H (anticlockwise) so that the heat-sensitive adhesive label A is transferred to a predetermined direction (to the right).
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-79152.
The conventional heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printer has have the following problems since the print unit for printing on the printable layer of the heat-sensitive adhesive sheet and the thermal activation unit for thermally activating the heat-sensitive adhesive agent layer are formed integrally.
(1) It is impossible to selectively carry out only one of the print onto the printable layer or the thermal activation of the heat-sensitive adhesive agent layer. Accordingly, it is impossible to carry out such an operation that only the printing onto the printable layer is performed in advance and the heat-sensitive adhesive agent layer is thermally activated to affix it on to a subject material as needed. That is, so-called “affixing-at-once” is impossible.
(2) The print onto the above-mentioned printable layer is possible even with a general-purpose printer, which is not exclusively designed for heat-sensitive adhesive sheets. However, as described above, the conventional heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printer has a configuration in-which the print and the thermal activation are performed in a series. Accordingly, it is impossible to carry out only the thermal activation of the heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printed with the use of a general-purpose printer. After all, when using the heat-sensitive adhesive sheet, a dedicated heat-sensitive adhesive sheet printer must be prepared separately.